| Saturday 2nd April 2011 | |
| Sign On | 10:05 - 10:20 |
| Scrutineering | 10:20 - 11: 20 |
| Qualifying | 11:35 - 11:50 |
| Sunday 3rd April 2011 | |
| Race 1 | 09:50 |
| Race 2 | 15:15 |
The Club provides products, services and events which enhance the enjoyment, experience and value for all BMW enthusiasts whether their cars are classics or modern, we cover them all!
Tuesday 29 March 2011
BMWRDC Kumho race series at Silverstone this weekend
Just a little reminder that the BMW Racing Drivers Club season kicks off this weekend at Silverstone with two races, one on the 2nd and the other on the 3rd, more details here
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Straight Six magazine taster - help us recruit new members
As an experiment we have had a selection of pages from the January edition of our Club magazine "Straight Six" converted to an on-line PDF format magazine for a trial period (it will not be available after the 12th April), you can find the on-line version >> here <<
We are always trying to recruit new members to the Club. Whilst we offer many benefits to members ranging from discounts on various items from insurance, warrantees, parts & servicing, all the way through to track days and trips to the Champagne region of France the one thing that captures it all is the monthly 80+ page magazine.
It's a fantastic publication for a Club, in many respects it's better than other magazines available in newsagents and is certainly our best asset in terms of getting over the benefits of the Club to potential members and keeping members in touch with all things BMW.
Take a look at this on-line version and pass on the link to anyone you know who has even the faintest interest in BMW, we think that they will want to join the Club as we really do have something for everyone regardless of age or BMW model.Please also let them know that they can find details about how to join on-line >> here <<: or they could just email or call the Club office: 01225 709009 bmwcarclub@btconnect.com and soon future editions of Straight Six will be landing on their doormat!
Thanks for your help in recruiting new members!
Monday 21 March 2011
BMW Group donates 1 Million Euro to help disaster victims
Given the devastating consequences of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, the BMW Group is showing solidarity with the victims of the catastrophe and has pledged emergency aid totalling €1 million.
The company’s Board of Management expressed their shock at the tragedy unfolding in Japan. “We are deeply moved by the horrific suffering in the affected regions,” stated Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “During this difficult time, our thoughts and sympathies are with the Japanese people.”
The donation will go in equal parts to the international non-profit organization “Save the Children” and the Japanese Red Cross. Funds are earmarked for the treatment of traumatized children, emergency aid and reconstruction work.
Get your BMW on track for £49 and meet Tiff!
Here's a quick reminder about the upcoming BMW subsidised track days....
For the second year BMW has teamed up with Club MSV and the BMW Car Club to offer all BMW owners the chance to take their BMW on the track at exclusive BMW only track events, giving them the chance to experience the full capabilities of their cars.
Five novice track evenings will take place across the country at some of the UK’s best test tracks, priced at just £49 a session. Following a safety briefing, participants will be taken on a familiarisation lap before putting theory into practice and discovering what it means to drive the ultimate driving machine on a famous motor racing circuit.
The first evening will be staged at Bedford Autodrome on Monday 11 April. Tiff Needell, former F1 driver, will be on hand at the inaugural event to offer some first class advice and encouragement.
For further information or to book one of the limited spaces at this or any of the other locations go to www.clubmsv.co.uk/bmwontrack.
Thursday 17 March 2011
2013 i3 will be RWD, hooray!
In spite of going environmentally friendly and doing an all electric vehicle BMW is at least sticking to it's old "Ultimate Driving Machine" monica and going for rear wheel drive, yes, you heard that right, a rear wheel drive all electric car!
Can't wait to see what it's like when the "camo" is off....A few more pictures and words here.
Can't wait to see what it's like when the "camo" is off....A few more pictures and words here.
Wednesday 16 March 2011
The BMW M3 Pickup is not for real!
I just spotted this on Jalopnik and thought you might appreciate it......Holy Ride of the Valkyries, what's this? Caught this week testing at the Nürburgring with all the other BMW M-Class models was this El Camino "Die Straße" coupe, with a truck bed. UPDATE: Sorry, folks. Not happening...
First, the conspiracy theories: Yes, it's an actual BMW, driven by BMW drivers and wearing the same camo tape other BMW development models sport. And yes, it looks like a real bed, and not some secret test compartment for capturing roadside cow farts to fracture into hydrogen and rainbows.
Given the European embrace of developing markets and "ute"-class trucks like the VW Amarok, maybe BMW just doesn't want to be left behind. Or maybe it's just the next-gen BMW M3 convertible and they're all just having a laugh at us.Still. STILL. When we find out more, we'll share it.
UPDATE: And...product planner-to-the-car-stars Jim Hall tells us it's a one-off parts hauler for ZTechnik or another BMW motorcycle accessory builder that's used just around the compound. As for camouflage, Hall said: ""Camouflage means nothing. BMW puts camouflage on anything and everything. Look at that BMW Vision Connected concept. That has camouflage and they're obviously not building that."
Tuesday 15 March 2011
BMW continues its support of MotoGP in 2011
Dorna Sports and BMW have reached an agreement to extend the German manufacturer’s position as the Official Car to MotoGP until 2016, thus prolonging what has been a highly successful and strong partnership since its beginnings in 1999.
Late February saw BMW deliver to Dorna Sports the official cars for the 2011 season, during a presentation in Munich and in the presence of Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and President of BMW M Division Dr. Kay Segler. In its role as Official Car of the MotoGP World Championship BMW M will continue to provide a total of six Safety Cars, two Safety Bikes and nine VIP Village Shuttles at all European rounds, whilst for the overseas Grands Prix the two main Safety Cars and one Safety Bike will make the trip.
In 2011 the fleet will be led by the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the X6 M, and in an exciting new development BMW will also provide a hybrid car as part of the Race Direction car fleet, incorporating further a green-aware approach into the logistical management of the World Championship.
Friday 11 March 2011
M5 pre-production first drive
As seen on Evo magazines web site, Chris Harris drives the pre-production M5, here's what he said:
Technical highlights
Twin turbochargers, with unspecific modifications to both intake and exhaust systems. Official response to the question of power output is: 'Do you really think we would give it less than an X6M?'. An X6M has 547bhp. There's a seven-speed DCT dual clutch transmission with three different shift speeds and a fully automatic mode. Saloon only for now.
What’s it like to drive?
Is turbocharging a highlight? When it makes a car this flexible and plain accelerative, it has to be. Yes, the near-insanity of the old V10 makes way for slightly reduced throttle response, but it’s marginal. On a Swedish lake, you can still make tiny adjustments to sustain that all-important 1km drift. Does it feel turbocharged? A little bit. Does it make enough induction noise? No. But this isn’t the finished car, the BMW M-gurus insist that the final product will be different in this respect.
I only drove the car on snow, ice and the occasional patch of asphalt. It felt like an M-car in the correct sense: purposeful, but not too aggressive. The steering, chassis and powertrain each have three modes: comfort, sport and sport-plus, giving a myriad of options. The MDM (M Driving Mode) brings a higher threshold DSC intervention that requires steering correction from the driver, or you spin, It works brilliantly. Switch it all off and you have a circa 560bhp, rear-wheel-drive saloon with an LSD. If you can’t enjoy that, you’re a wally.
I can’t tell you much about ride comfort and steering yet, except that with the suspension set to comfort the car is compliant but never soft. The steering is faster than in a regular BMW 5-series.
How does it compare?
The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is too good to be a walkover, but this M5 will take some beating. For all current and recent E60 M5 owners know this: the new M5 has a gearbox as fast as the E60s that also works properly in Auto mode. It has a bigger fuel tank than a regular 5 (somewhere between 70 and 80 litres, but they won’t say exactly what – I’m cleverly guessing 75) which with the much improved economy gives a real range of 400 miles. So: range, gearbox, torque – BMW has listened, all of the E60’s vices have been sorted.
More here: http://tinyurl.com/63a3t4l
Technical highlights
Twin turbochargers, with unspecific modifications to both intake and exhaust systems. Official response to the question of power output is: 'Do you really think we would give it less than an X6M?'. An X6M has 547bhp. There's a seven-speed DCT dual clutch transmission with three different shift speeds and a fully automatic mode. Saloon only for now.
What’s it like to drive?
Is turbocharging a highlight? When it makes a car this flexible and plain accelerative, it has to be. Yes, the near-insanity of the old V10 makes way for slightly reduced throttle response, but it’s marginal. On a Swedish lake, you can still make tiny adjustments to sustain that all-important 1km drift. Does it feel turbocharged? A little bit. Does it make enough induction noise? No. But this isn’t the finished car, the BMW M-gurus insist that the final product will be different in this respect.
I only drove the car on snow, ice and the occasional patch of asphalt. It felt like an M-car in the correct sense: purposeful, but not too aggressive. The steering, chassis and powertrain each have three modes: comfort, sport and sport-plus, giving a myriad of options. The MDM (M Driving Mode) brings a higher threshold DSC intervention that requires steering correction from the driver, or you spin, It works brilliantly. Switch it all off and you have a circa 560bhp, rear-wheel-drive saloon with an LSD. If you can’t enjoy that, you’re a wally.
I can’t tell you much about ride comfort and steering yet, except that with the suspension set to comfort the car is compliant but never soft. The steering is faster than in a regular BMW 5-series.
How does it compare?
The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is too good to be a walkover, but this M5 will take some beating. For all current and recent E60 M5 owners know this: the new M5 has a gearbox as fast as the E60s that also works properly in Auto mode. It has a bigger fuel tank than a regular 5 (somewhere between 70 and 80 litres, but they won’t say exactly what – I’m cleverly guessing 75) which with the much improved economy gives a real range of 400 miles. So: range, gearbox, torque – BMW has listened, all of the E60’s vices have been sorted.
More here: http://tinyurl.com/63a3t4l
Thursday 10 March 2011
BMWs most important car…
2012 3 series......
As the launch date of the new F30 3 Series draws closer, more info and photo shop images will start to appear on-line and in magazines. It won’t be too long before we start reading first driving impressions and start hearing the moan of auto scribes the world over picking apart one aspect or another of the new 3er to complain about.
The 3 Series is BMW’s cash cow, subsequently don’t look for exaggerated styling since the 3er has to appeal to an extremely broad market both in Europe and North America, unlike the 1er, for example. Expect the looks of the car to reflect the styling idioms incorporated in the 7er and 5er. The wheelbase will be stretched a bit, possibly three or so inches, while the overall length of the vehicle should remain under 180 inches. The styling should be crisp, with a minimum of superfluous lines but with subtle detail that is revealed in light and shadow.
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| Picture credit to Worldcarfans.com |
What are your thoughts......
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Get your BMW on track for £49 (or possibly for FREE!!)
For the second year the BMW Car Club has teamed up BMW UK
Five novice track evenings will take place across the country at some of the UK
These novice track events provide a safe introduction to on track driving and are the ideal springboard to our own track day programme – see Straight Six for details.
The first evening will be staged at Bedford Autodrome on Monday 11th April. Tiff Needell, former F1 driver, will be on hand at the inaugural event to offer some first class advice and encouragement. For further information or to book one of the limited spaces at this or any of the other locations go to
BMW UK
In your own words complete the following sentence:
“JOY is being a member of the BMW Car Club because…….”
Email replies to bmwcarclub@btconnect.com by close of business on Tuesday 5th April.
Winners will be notified by email or telephone on 6th April. The judges decision is final.
Future BMW Car Club, BMW UK
Monday 11 April - Bedford
Friday 13 May* - Cadwell Park (Lincolnshire
Wednesday 22 June - Snetterton (Norfolk
Tuesday 19 July - Brands Hatch (Kent
Monday 1 August - Bedford
Thursday 3 March 2011
BMW Car Club Fantasy GP....roll up....roll up!
I am guessing that many of you are into F1 and like me get fed up of hearing about the whole "Fantasy Football" thing? So that us "petrol heads" have something else to talk about during the season I have set up a Fantasy F1 league for the club on Badger GP here: http://badgergp.com/
If you register with the site you can then create your team (3 cars, 3 drivers but with a £70M limit!), and then click on the ‘Friends Leagues’ button in your management panel on the right, find BMW Car Club in the drop-down list of teams and join using the code JXA4nH
Look forward to you all joining me and fighting it out against my team which is called "McBull"!
Wednesday 2 March 2011
How about the "Job of a Lifetime" for blogging?
A BMW dealership in Ajax (Ontario, Canada) is offering the following to whom they judge to be the "ultimate" blogger, in their words:
"Have what it takes to become the Ultimate Blogger? If you're obsessed with BMW performance you just may be the one. You'll get a salary, a BMW, a condo for a year, travel and lots of other perks. All you have to do is prove to us you're driven by performance. To enter, set up your page, post a blog and share online to get votes. You'll be on your way to become the Ultimate Blogger."
The winner will receive a $65,000 annual salary while writing about BMW, Tweeting and Facebooking the latest news (it could be me!). The writer will also be given the keys to a new BMW every six months.
Add to this the fact that the dealership will pay for living expenses for a year and also fund trips to BMW events around the world and it really does sound like a dream job for a BMW "nut"!
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